(New York, December 15, 2005) – An independent and transparent investigation into the December 6 killing of protestors in Dongzhou village is urgently needed, Human Rights Watch said today. The incident in Guangdong province is the first known shooting of public protestors since the June 1989 massacre of democracy advocates in Tiananmen Square.

Chinese authorities have admitted that three people were killed when security forces fired at villagers protesting inadequate compensation for land expropriated for a power plant. Villagers speaking over the phone with foreign journalists put the toll much higher, with some suggesting as many as 20 dead and some 40 missing. Dongzhou has reportedly been sealed off, with roadblocks set up to keep journalists out.

“Unfortunately, China has no record of conducting credible and transparent investigations into the actions of its security forces,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “The legacy of Tiananmen makes it all the more important that the Chinese government take this opportunity to reach out and collaborate with independent experts.”

The Dongzhou killings took place after a large crowd gathered to protest the arrest of villagers involved in the power plant negotiations. With the village sealed off and an almost complete domestic news blackout in effect in China, it is difficult to determine the exact sequence of events.

In an open letter circulated Tuesday, more than 50 Chinese intellectuals demanded an independent investigation, stating, “We strongly protest at the Chinese government’s failure to publicly explain, clarify and investigate the killings. We protest against its gross action to forbid domestic media from reporting on the case.”

Human Rights Watch said it agreed with the authors of the letter and urged China to immediately invite the United Nations or another independent body to investigate the killings.

In Dongzhou, the first official response was to claim that the shootings occurred only after well-organized villagers initiated the violence. Chinese authorities called the incident “a serious violation of the law.” However, local residents told foreign journalists that many more people had been killed than officially reported, that security forces had opened fire without warning and that the paramilitary People’s Armed Police (PAP) was seen in the vicinity. Only then did the government begin to backpedal.

In a rare move, an unnamed officer who was identified by the Guangdong provincial government as the commanding officer at the scene has been arrested. The government said on Sunday that he was a police commander, detained for mishandling the incident that caused “mistaken deaths and accidental injuries,” and that his “wrong actions” were to blame for the killings.

“The government has admitted that an official had at least some responsibility for what happened in Dongzhou,” said Adams. “But we are all left to guess what exactly he or she did.”

Human Rights Watch called for the name of the arrested officer to be officially released, for his alleged role in the killings to be made public and for an explanation to be offered about who had the authority to give the order to open fire on the protestors. Questions also remain about whether and why the PAP was deployed, who ordered deployment, the standing rules for the PAP and other security forces in policing demonstrations and which officials were responsible for the apparent cover-up in the days after the killings.

“Because of the lack of transparency, we don’t know whether the commander is a scapegoat, or if he is only one of many who should be arrested,” said Adams. “The investigation must be conducted openly for people to have confidence that powerful figures will not be protected.”

International media interviews with local residents suggest that many villagers have been arrested, including the alleged “ringleaders” of the protests. Human Rights Watch called for any detainees to be identified, given access to counsel of their choice and quickly be charged or released. Given China’s long history of the use of torture in custody, Human Rights Watch expressed concern for the welfare of the detainees.

“Independent monitors should be given immediate access to any detainees to make sure they are not being mistreated,” said Adams.

American Peace Activists Bring Protest Against Tortureto Gates of U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Interview with Simon Harak,Jesuit priest and organizerwith the War Resisters League,conducted by Scott Harris

Allegations that the U.S. systematically mistreats and tortures terrorist suspects was the focus of attention again when Secretary of State Condoleza Rice denied charges that Washington operates secret prisons in several Eastern European countries. Investigations have been launched by the European Union into the complicity of governments where these prisons may be located and whose territories may have been used to transport detainees. While President Bush and other U.S. officials have stated that America does not torture, prisoners who have been released from Guantanamo Bay have alleged that they were menaced with dogs and beaten while in American military custody.

In protest of the treatment of terrorism suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval base in Cuba and other known and covert facilities around the world, 25 American Christian activists traveled to the gates of the prison and are demanding to meet with the detainees held there. The human rights campaigners flew to Cuba, then marched 80 miles on foot from Santiago, Cuba to Guantanamo, arriving there on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. The group now sits at the gate, fasting and praying while awaiting permission to enter the U.S. base. Thus far, the Bush administration has not responded to the group's request.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Simon Harak, Jesuit priest and anti-militarism coordinator with the War Resisters League. He explains why members of the War Resisters League and Catholic Worker communities from across the U.S. have converged on Guantanamo in their Witness to Torture, protesting government policies that they maintain have led to the mistreatment of detainees.

Contact the War Resisters League by calling (212) 228-0450 or visit the Witness to Torture website at www.witnesstorture.org.

Tuesday

Tiles of carnelian, lapis, and jade, The muralist sees his picture One centimeter at a time. Every piece alone is precious; Together they make a priceless whole.

Not far from where I grew up, there was a muralist whose specialty was mosaic. He accepted commissions from all over the world and also collaborated with a number of famous artists on their murals and sculptures. He had bins and buckets full of all sorts of fascinating tiles. Some were red, blue, and yellow glass. Others were elaborately glazed ceramic. A few were tones like lapis, turquoise, malachite, and obsidian. Some were even mirrored with god and silver, and these would shine out first whenever he would wash away the grout.

God may be in the details, but it is also important to know the big picture.

That is where the muralist is such a great example. He knew what the big picture had to be, and yet he had enough concentration to piece together enormous tableaus out of tiny square centimeters. That is knowing both the small and the big. Follow his example and you will never be petty; yet you will not lose sight of the relationship between the microcosmic and the macrocosmic.

Zhuangzi takes a step beyond Laozi in his theory of emotions. Zhuangzi discusses the passions and emotions that were raw, pre-social inputs from reality. He suggested a pragmatic attitude toward them—we cannot know what purpose they have, but without them, there would be no reference for the "I." Without the 'I', there would be neither choosing nor objects of choice. Like Hume, he argued that while we have these inputs and feel there must be some organizing "true ruler," we get no input (qing) from any such ruler. We simply have the inputs themselves (happiness, anger, sorrow, joy, fear). We cannot suppose that the physical heart is such a ruler, because it is no more natural than the other organs and joints of the body. Training and history condition a heart’s judgments. Ultimately, even Mencius’ shi-fei (this-not this) are input to the xin. Our experience introduces them relative to our position and past assumptions. They are not objective or neutral judgments.

XUNZI also concentrated on issues related to philosophy of mind though in the context of moral and linguistic issues. He initiated some important and historically influential developments in the classical theory. His most famous (and textually suspect) doctrine is "human nature is evil." While he clearly wanted to distance himself from Mencius, the slogan at best obscures the deep affinity between their respective views of human nature and mind.

Statement made at Ft. Benning, GA on November 17, 2005 by SPC Katherine Jashinski, first woman in the military to publicly declare resistance to participation in the war:

My name is Katherine Jashinski. I am a SPC in the Texas Army National Guard. I was born in Milwaukee, WI and I am 22 years old. When I graduated high school I moved to Austin, TX to attend college. At age 19 I enlisted in the Guard as a cook because I wanted to experience military life. When I enlisted I believed that killing was immoral, but also that war was an inevitable part of life and therefore, an exception to the rule.

After enlisting I began the slow transformation into adulthood. Like many teenagers who leave their home for the first time, I went through a period of growth and soul searching. I encountered many new people and ideas that broadly expanded my narrow experiences. After reading essays by Bertrand Russel and traveling to the South Pacific and talking to people from all over the world, my beliefs about humanity and its relation to war changed. I began to see a bigger picture of the world and I started to reevaluate everything that I had been taught about war as a child. I developed the belief that taking human life was wrong and war was no exception. I was then able to clarify who I am and what it is that I stand for.

The thing that I revere most in this world is life, and I will never take another person's life.

Just as others have faith in God, I have faith in humanity

I have a deeply held belief that people must solve all conflicts through peaceful diplomacy and without the use of violence. Violence only begets more violence.

Because I believe so strongly in non-violence, I cannot perform any role in the military. Any person doing any job in the Army, contributes in some way to the planning, preparation or implementation of war.

For eighteen months, while my CO status was pending, I have honored my commitment to the Army and done everything that they asked of me. However, I was ordered to Ft. Benning last Sunday to complete weapons training in preparation to deploy for war.

Now I have come to the point where I am forced to choose between my legal obligation to the Army and my deepest moral values. I want to make it clear that I will not compromise my beliefs for any reason. I have a moral obligation not only to myself but to the world as a whole, and this is more important than any contract.

I have come to my beliefs through personal, intense, reflection and study. They are everything that I am and all that I stand for. After much thought and contemplation about the effect my decision will have on my future, my family, the possibility of prison, and the inevitable scorn and ridicule that I will face, I am completely resolute.

I will exercise my every legal right not pick up a weapon, and to participate in war effort. I am determined to be discharged as a CO, and while undergoing the appeals process; I will continue to follow orders that do not conflict with my conscience until my status has been resolved. I am prepared to accept the consequences of adhering to my beliefs.

What characterizes a conscientious objector is their willingness to face adversity and uphold their values at any cost. We do this not because it is easy or popular, but because we are unable to do otherwise. Thank you.

The old books describe Tao as strangely colorless. What do they mean by that? Where gods appear in flashes of blinding light, where hell yawns open with flame and sparks, how is it that Tao, supreme above all, is strangely colorless?The description of colorless is a reference to the fact that Tao is beyond all descriptions. When you experience Tao, you will recognize that you are in the grip of something so right. But it will be impossible to conceptualize it or reproduce it. In fact, the more that you try to pin Tao down, the more elusive it becomes. It is a paradox that something colorless can be so intense, gripping, and unforgettable.Have you ever played a competitive sport, say, like football? Have you ever felt that sweet spot, when everything went right almost without your trying? Wen you were in tithe grip of that momentum, did you say to yourself, “Don’t do anything to break this. Don’t say anything, don’t ruin it”? That feeling is a little of what being with Tao is like. If you tried to reproduce it later in another game, you couldn’t. If you tried to “master” it, take credit for it, explain what happened, you couldn’t. Later in private when you reflected back, you would realize that they experience that you felt was strong enough to move others, to sweep all before it, to hold you in intensity. What you felt was Tao.

Saturday

Be self-sufficient but not isolated.When the king of China closed the borders,Centuries of stagnation and decadence began.

All the philosophy of Tao is intended to lead to self-sufficiency. Whatever one needs to do in life, one should be able to do on one’s own. Whether one is trapped in the wilderness or whether one is dealing with a social gathering requiring etiquette and grace, one should be able to cope with aplomb and ease.Being self-sufficient is not the same as being isolated. This is a very important point. When the king of China closed the borders, the country was self-sufficient enough to enjoy the contentment. But eventually an inbred society developed. Stagnation and decay set in.The same problems can arise in people who are so self-sufficient that they fail to engage life fully. Either they will implode from the sheer weight of their own decadence and stagnation, or they will explode once the outside world confronts them with something they cannot comprehend.Those who follow Tao roam the world. They may avail themselves of the temporary advantages of withdrawal and intense self-cultivation, but they do not become permanently isolated. They flow with the Tao, are with all things, and therefore avoid decadence.self-sufficiency365 Tao daily meditations Deng Ming-Dao (author)

These changes emerge, yet rushing water does not act. Reba is thirteen and shows us that she is reaching the end of her time with us.

Reba speaks now of profound images and knows each moment is precious.

Reba lived her first six years thrown out into 40 acres near Conifer (read: deep wood, high altitude, frigid temperatures) with not much shelter and a bowl of dog food sorta near the door. Reba knows about eyes. it is the eye of the enemy that strikes first, so much so that her balanced rushing water does not act shares the balance we hold today.

She is happy and doing well walking after the stroke (she tends to tilt to the left, matching our political leanings I ponder..). Our friend Dan knows living with stroke and teaches little but shows much about rushing water does not act. Reba awaits instruction about non action.

We have not had our first snow here: We still take awe in the survival of our baskets of fushia, dianthus, geranium, Jacob's Ladder, and small flowered petunia are fine and sassy, a pine needle in the way.

The hummingbird feeder has yet to be put away — one of hundred or so... and in the finer days of fall I almost hear one of the swallowtails coming up from the canyon or sitting on the lilac limb protecting his feeder or flower.

Our seasons are often heard first, then smelled, then we notice the light in the house changes as we move plants to their favorite places. They have their seasons, keeps us alert to what is coming in our lunar cycle.

A tip of the heater and the quiet again, of closed doors and children. Lucy Basset, discovering the middle years of five last June, now sits closely to the only other friend she has in her world.

As we cross this water together we shall remember that rushing water does not act.

Thursday

Orange and gold carp,Living beneath ice.Uncaring of the world above,Sustained by the water below.

In the rapidly chilling autumn, ponds begin to ice over. The waters become deep, dark, and mysterious, but in those depths the fish can survive the coming winter.

Tao may be known as directly as water is knowable to a fish. My Tao will not be the same as your Tao. We are both individuals, each with different backgrounds and thoughts. As soon as Tao enters into us, it takes on the colors of our inner personalities. When it passes out of us, it returns again to its universal nature. This is an ongoing and constant process, like water flowing through a fish’s gills. Just as the water nurtures the fish, so too does Tao nurture and sustain us. As long as we continue our immersion in Tao, we will be as safe as a carp in water. When we separate from Tao, we are as helpless as a fish out of water.

Has anyone worked with animals preparing for the transition? There are many questions that Reba holds, due to a great deal of abandonment and mistreatment in her first 6 years, before she came to live with me. She is afraid, needs preparation, .but I have never had an animal with this much imbalance about the change. I plan to read the Book of the Dead for her. Please contact me if you have any input or support to give me. I have worked with human hospice "preparation" and the transition. This is new for me, my other animals have passed here and were unafraid. I look at my clinging ego and know that my denial is just leaving....

Thank you to Gabi for yet another talent and gift: She is E 明朝 a specialist in Apitherapy and her work, along that of thousands around the world, can bee seen at http://www.apitherapy.com/ where we will find her listed as " Gabi Greve, Dr. med. (Managing Director); GokuRakuAn International Culture Center;.. ; Japan"

Another dear friend noted this, which has been my belief since meeting Reba:

“I do not know what your beliefs on reincarnation are, but I would suggest the following: It sounds as though Reba is preparing to make the step into a human existence the next time around. When we achieve a heightened spiritual awareness, we tend to awaken people, places and things. From the pictures it is rather apparent that she is on that cusp of humanity. With that come the fears of loss of self and loved ones.

I would suggest a period of meditation and a soul to soul communication between you. Love never dies, even if the forms we take in life do.

Sil ”

And a conversation with another wonderful friend went this way:... ?? Is she reading your mental pictures? ...

I am trying to keep the mantra of ‘rushing water does no work’ as I speak with her... trying to visualize luminosity... What do you think would help? I have no fear except that I may not be there when she passes... However it has never happened with any other children. I have been blessed with the gift of being with them when they passed. Fear of abandoning her is in dreams, and I know that type of ego work does bleed over... thank you Mike, Keep writing!

i think she is picking up on some recent problem you are worrying about sit on your favorite rock or sit next to your favorite plant. they will give you clearer answers.

With loveMike

You have no idea the gratitude for gifts you are sharing with me during this time. I have several of Gabi's original photographs ready for the daily meditations, but am continuing to follow the focus of my mind's eye right now. Perhaps I use that too much and have intellectualized myself out of listening... I am listening though!

Wednesday

Rain comes, and the birds—Silhouettes against the pearlescent sky—Respond excitedly in song.they open their throats to heaven’s nectar,And rhyme with the drops.

All of nature is song. Sometimes the song is in a minor key, with purple tones that stir the soul, bursting the heart with pent-up emotions. Sometimes it is joyous, full of rich melodies and grand chords that bring electric thrills. Sometimes it descends into strange modes, guttural chants, and obscure dissonances.It is up to each of us to sing as we feel moved by the overall song of life. Do we harmonize with it? Do we sing a counterpoint? Do we purposefully sound discordant tones?Perhaps a student first encountering Tao endeavors to harmonize with it, but that isn’t all that there is to having a relationship with Tao. Tao gives us the background, the broad circumstances. It is up to us to fit into it, go against it, or even flutter off on oblique angles. Don’t look at Tao as one big inexorable stream in which we float like dead logs. What could that lead to except logjams?No, let us be like the birds. Who sing when Tao send them rain. Who know what to do when winter comes. Who embroider the sky with their own unique paths. Who will sing a counterpoint when they need to. who will sing poetry that is discordant when it must be and rhymes when it is proper.singing365 Tao daily meditationsDeng Ming-Dao (author)ISBN 0-06-250223-9

Has anyone worked with animals preparing for the transition? There are many questions that Reba holds, due to a great deal of abandonment and mistreatment in her first 6 years, before she came to live with me. She is afraid, needs preparation, .but I have never had an animal with this much imbalance about the change. I plan to read the Book of the Dead for her. Please contact me if you have any input or support to give me. I have worked with human hospice "preparation" and the transition. This is new for me, my other animals have passed here and were unafraid. I look at my clinging ego and know that my denial is just leaving....

The year’s end is coming;I feel great contentment.completion means rest.Rest means renewal.Renewal means new beginnings.

Perseverance is a great virtue, but perseverance cannot be cultivated without endings. Perseverance does not mean an endless engagement in Sisyphean tasks. It means beginnings, middles, and ends, and then starting over again. We are nearing the end of our year, but we could not contemplate this ending without having gone through the completions of all the days and months that have come before.It’s good to look toward the end of things. Not only does it provide perspective, but it also provides the stepping-stone to our next endeavor. When things end, it should ideally mean the attainment of our goals. We should start everything with definite goal in mind, otherwise our lives will lack purpose. Once we attain our goals, we should be glad and rest. We need the time for our psyches to absorb the significance of our acts. With rest comes renewal, and with renewal we can build the force of our characters and thereby stand stronger for our futures.In the countryside farmers frequently nap in their carts of hay as their mules automatically take them back home. They know how to make achievements and rest at the same time!rest365 Tao daily meditationsDeng Ming-Dao (author)ISBN 0-06-250223-9

I want to thank all of those who have responded to my request about vegan health diet and herbal remedies for cancer in dogs. Reba has a small stroke last Saturday night and we took her in to her vet to discover that the mass that was small and "not to be worried about" was indeed cancer. We are asking any and all resources we can find for our Reba. We are blessed to be near the Veterinary Hospital at Colorado State University — where holistic medicine and acupuncture is an excellent option for us.

Thank you for your patience at this time. I have spent every moment caretaking her and assisting her in learning how to walk a bit better after her small stroke. She is doing well.

I have only been able to focus on my personal meditation, consulting the Oracle and working on this photo exhibit of my dear Reba. Thank you for your tolerance and patience. We will do well with your healing energy sent her way. We are grateful for so many wonderful friends.

In all this talk about spiritual devotion, there is one simple fact. You have to like it. It should make you happy. It is unfortunate that so much coercion, unhappiness, bitterness, guilt, and fear become wrapped up in spirituality. Why can’t we simply do things out of joy?

Practicing spirituality isn’t a matter of drudgery. It is’t a matter of fear. It isn’t for fitting into a social group. It has nothing to do with status. Being devoted to holiness in your life is a matter of joy and celebration. When you sit down to meditate, a smile should come to your lips and a feeling of joy should permeate your body. When you go to consecrated ground to give thanks and celebrate, you should do so not because of the day of the week or out of the habit of ritual, but because this is the best way that you know how to adore your gods and express the wonder of being on this earth.Yes, yes, there is much unhappiness in this existence. That unhappiness is part of the overall field of negativity. There are also positive things in life, and spirituality is foremost among them. So whenever we practice our spiritual devotions, let it be in gladness and joy.

I want to thank all of those who have responded to my request about vegan health diet and herbal remedies for cancer in dogs. Reba has a small stroke last Saturday night and we took her in to her vet to discover that the mass that was small and "not to be worried about" was indeed cancer. We are asking any and all resources we can find for our Reba. We are blessed to be near the Veterinary Hospital at Colorado State University — where holistic medicine and acupuncture is an excellent option for us.

Thank you for your patience at this time. I have spent every moment caretaking her and assisting her in learning how to walk a bit better after her small stroke. She is doing well.

I have only been able to focus on my personal meditation, consulting the Oracle and working on this photo exhibit of my dear Reba. Thank you for your tolerance and patience. We will do well with your healing energy sent her way. We are grateful for so many wonderful friends.

If I don't want to be known, I cannot be known.The best actor can divide role from self.The best liar can divide truth from falsity.

People think that they know you. Soon you begin to play the role that they place on you. Why should you act a certain way to please others? You should do things from your inner awareness and from your own feelings. If they do not accord with the herd, then so much the better.You should change when it pleases you. Your life is flexible. If you let other people shape you, then you will never know independence.The sages say that all life is illusory, and they usually lament this. The way of Tao s to use this fact and not let it oppress you. If you want to dodge others, then step behind one of the myriad illusions in this world. If you do not volunteer anything and you neither conform or deny, the opinions of others can never stick to you. Then you will be left in peace.True sages never go by appearances. When it comes to introspection, they are not deceived by the appearances their own minds spew out. They know that if they want to get at the truth, then they must pierce to the very core.So if you would hide from others, avail yourself of the false appearances of life. If you would know yourself, distinguish between the false appearances of life. Above all, do not be put off by the illusory nature of life. Use it. Everything in this life can be an advantage to the wise.chameleon365 Tao daily meditationsDeng Ming-Dao (author)ISBN 0-06-250223-9

I want to thank all of those who have responded to my request about vegan health diet and herbal remedies for cancer in dogs. Reba has a small stroke last Saturday night and we took her in to her vet to discover that the mass that was small and "not to be worried about" was indeed cancer. We are asking any and all resources we can find for our Reba. We are blessed to be near the Veterinary Hospital at Colorado State University — where holistic medicine and acupuncture is an excellent option for us.

Thank you for your patience at this time. I have spent every moment caretaking her and assisting her in learning how to walk a bit better after her small stroke. She is doing well.

I have only been able to focus on my personal meditation, consulting the Oracle and working on this photo exhibit of my dear Reba. Thank you for your tolerance and patience. We will do well with your healing energy sent her way. We are grateful for so many wonderful friends.